Ritchie Blackmore established a very personal style as a member of the classic Deep Purple line up. Back in the mid-seventies, his neo-classical take on blues was the perfect ingredient to set the British band apart from any competition. He conjured up the fattest “Strat in a Marshall” tone anyone had ever heard on the uber-classic Smoke On The Water, but there are so many more juicy riffs and mindblowing licks to be studied in this songbook, including Highway Star and its many solos or Child In Time and its unique tension build-up.